Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Japan: Mitsubishi Jet in First flight.

Japan's first domestically produced passenger jet, the Mitsubishi
Regional Jet (MRJ), takes off from Nagoya Airport in Toyoyama, central
Japan, for its first flight Wednesday morning, Nov. 11, 2015.
Mitsubishi, a maker of the Zero fighter, took a step toward reclaiming
Japan's one-time status as an aviation power Wednesday with the maiden
flight of its regional jet. (Muneyuki Tomari/Kyodo News via AP) JAPAN
OUT, CREDIT MANDATORY

Spectators wave and take photos of Japan's first domestically produced
passenger jet, the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ), taking off from Nagoya
Airport in Toyoyama, central Japan, for its first flight Wednesday
morning, Nov. 11, 2015. Mitsubishi, a maker of the Zero fighter, took a
step toward reclaiming Japan's one-time status as an aviation power
Wednesday with the maiden flight of its regional jet. (Yoshiaki
Sakamoto/Kyodo News via AP) JAPAN OUT, CREDIT MANDATORY

Mitsubishi, a maker of the Zero
fighter, took a step toward reclaiming Japan's one-time status as an
aviation power Wednesday with the maiden flight of its regional jet.

The aircraft took off in the central Japanese city of Nagoya, as seen in a live webcast. It landed about an hour later.

Mitsubishi
pushed back the jet's first flight by a few months but said the delay
would not affect its planned commercial deliveries.

The
project reflects a desire to turn Japan's modern engineering and
manufacturing prowess into a top-tier aircraft industry, some 70 years
after Japan suspended making planes following its defeat in World War
II.

Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries and other major Japanese manufacturers are key suppliers for
many aircraft parts and systems. But a large share of the components in
the 70- to 90-seat Mitsubishi regional jet came from leading foreign
suppliers.